This is how weird I am..

I sit and watch C-span for over an hour while it was showing New Orlean's people lined up at a mike to complain to Mayor Nagin and some sort of "Bring Back New Orleans" commission. From what I gathered Nagin has told them that in certain sections of the city they can only rebuild "at their own risk." In other words they would not have city services for many years. No policemen, no emergency services and the like. As you can imagine, people were not happy. They were giving people 3 minutes each to say their piece.

There were a few with well stated speeches regarding the Army Corp of Engineers and the rebuilding of the city, but the ones that really got to me where the elderly. Many were wondering about some personal problem they were having with their insurance company or regarding bills and such. I said out loud, "I could never be on a city council because I would want to solve every single person's problem that came to us." Another relative (who shall remain nameless) said, " I was just thinking that I could never be on a city council because I would call them all idiots." (Am I too nice?)

When I hear from an elderly person about a problem like this I always wonder where are their children or grandchildren? Why don't we take care of our own anymore? When I was serving Meals On Wheels I had so many homes where I knew the children lived close by. I wondered why they couldn't be bothered to fix their parents lunches and put them in the refrigerator. But I would tell myself that there could be many reasons.

My heart just went out to the elderly women who didn't seem to have anywhere else to turn but a stupid townhall meeting with a bunch of bureaucrats who would no more remember her problem than her name.

Anyway, New Orleans is such a mess. And it doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon. One priest reminded Nagin about his statement regarding God being mad at New Orleans and then read the paper where it said that one knew New Orleans was coming back because the famous strip clubs had re-opened. He wondered if this was how Nagin wanted New Orleans to come back.

Now I don't know if Nagin really believed that God was mad at the city, (I certainly don't) but if he did, then one would think that the Priest might have given him something to think about. But money talks. It always does. And right now all New Orleans has is the French Quarter and the tourism dollars. I wish there were more money to be made making jazz music than stripping, but I'm afraid that isn't the case.